[See extracts of the interview in Video clips]
– Firstly Lucas, welcome to England! You are here with Sambafoot today, how has your first month in London been?
The first month has been very good, I haven"t had any problems staying here. My family was here for two weeks with me also, so it is very easy for me to stay in London. It is not difficult, it is similar to Brazil and I have many Brazilian friends here, it is good. I like it here
– You have started your training with Chelsea, is that with the first team or the reserves?
I train with the reserves most days, but sometimes with the first-team. More with the reserves, but sometimes we train all together. It"s good experience too.
– Obviously, Chelsea have several Brazilian players. How have they helped you settle in?
I think the Brazilian player at Chelsea who has helped me the most is David Luiz. We are here in his house, with Julio [Lucas and David Luiz"s agent]. Alex and Ramires are very good guys too, they have helped me in this last week as I was training with them. We are making good friendships.
– So, had you spoken to any of them before you came to Chelsea?
Only with Alex. I met him in 2009, here in London. David Luiz and Ramires I didn"t know before.
– Before you signed with Chelsea there was a lot of interest in you, including from clubs like Juventus. Why did you choose Chelsea in the end?
Because I like the Premier League. I think my way of playing and my skills are suited to the Premier League.
– In the past you have been compared to Kaká, do you think this is a fair comparison?
I don"t think so. My style and his style are different because I am a winger, or a second-striker, and he is a central midfielder. So I don"t think the comparison is because of our style. I think it is because we both played at São Paulo and maybe we can look similar on the pitch sometimes.
– You have just signed for Chelsea, but in the future would you like to go back to Brazil at some point? Maybe to São Paulo?
If one day I go back to Brazil, I would like to play for São Paulo. They were my childhood team, so I have this dream. I would like to [return].
– Chelsea are a massive team, they are on of the top teams in Europe, did you have any fears about coming here with the expectations on you and the possible lack of playing time?
No, because I think I am too young. Maybe when I get a bit stronger and know better the difference between playing in Brazil and playing here in England. It is very different.
Here, every player is expected to defend. In Brazil, we just play with the ball in midfield and in attack. At the beginning, this was my big problem here, so I need to practice a lot and then, I think in one year, or eighteen months, I will be ready to play in the Premier League.
– You said you are a São Paulo supporter, do you still watch the Brazilian Championship?
Watching it here in England is difficult as the TV doesn"t broadcast any games, but I try to see the goals from the games on the internet. São Paulo are in a good position, right?
– Do you think they can win the championship this season?
I think so. The championships are very difficult [to win] this year. All teams from first to sixth position have a chance and São Paulo are in this block, so I think they can win it.
– Away from football, what do you like doing in your free-time?
I like to stay with my friends. I have some friends who study in Cambridge and on weekends they come to London and we go out, we have lunch and we have dinner. I like to go to the cinema too, but I haven"t been here yet! I need to understand a little more English first! When I have improved my English, then I will go to the cinema.
– Have you been recognised in London yet?
No, only one Italian guy in a restaurant. He heard us talking and he was a Juventus supporter. He saw me and he said ‘Hey, why didn"t you go to Juventus?"
– You mentioned playing for the Chelsea first-team in twelve to eighteen months time. Do you have any other long-term targets? Last time Brazil won the World Cup in 2002, you were eight years old, do you see 2014, or maybe 2018, as a personal target for the future?
I don"t think about the future yet. My biggest target now is to play for the first-team and then I can think about other things.
– When you were growing up, who were your footballing idols? Who did you aspire to be like?
I never looked up to only one player. I always tried to see all good players play, as it is a good experience for me. I had a lot of idols, I didn"t have just one. I tried to take the best skill I see, the best things they can do and use them for myself. Of course I can"t do like they do, but I will try. I am training everyday to get better. I look up to a lot of players and try to be like them.
– You are at a very similar age to several other Chelsea players. There is obviously Romelu Lukaku, who was signed this summer for a lot of money, and Josh Mceachran who has come through at Chelsea. What is it like training with those players knowing you are going to be playing with them for the next five or more years?
Yeah, they are very young players. I think they are only one year older than me. They are very good players, playing in games and you can see that in training everyday. I have a good relationship with both players. Lukaku speaks good Portuguese.
– With Lukaku, he is a centre-forward and you are a second-striker, you two might need to build a relationship over the next few years…
That would be good! One day, we can play together and with Josh too, as he is an central-midfielder. It would be good to play with them, I have thought about this before.
– You have played with the junior national teams quite a lot, you have had success at the South American tournaments and you played at the Under-17 World Cup this summer, how have those experiences helped you?
I think those were good experiences for all those who played at the World Cup. We finished fourth which was not a bad result, but we wanted to come first!
– One of your colleagues at the World Cup, Adryan, almost made his Flamengo debut last month, have you spoken to him since the tournament?
Yeah, I spoke to him last week. He is with the first-team at Flamengo and I think next year he will be able to play.
– A very talented player…
Very talented…
– You have come to Chelsea without having played a first-team game at São Paulo, you are very young and already quite well known, do you feel the pressure of such a high profile transfer?
No, no. Not yet. I don"t feel like that because I am too young. I should only have come next year when I turn eighteen in January, but at eighteen there is more pressure. At seventeen, I can prepare myself better to grow up quickly.
– So, these few months that you are here now and you are not playing are very important?
Yeah, to prepare myself. I need to get better, get stronger and get adapted to English football, so then next year I will be a better player.
– Football is a game that provokes a lot of emotions, how do you forget about your troubles and relax after a bad game?
If I have had a bad game, I will just start to think about the next one. I try to have fun and think about other things. But, you have to think about it and think how you can do better in the next game. If you have a good game, you have to think about it also, to make sure the next game is just as good.
– You are here with Sambafoot today talking English. Your English is very good, do you think that is helping you adapt?
Yeah, so sometimes I can talk to the English players. Chelsea has a lot of Portuguese and Brazilians so I stay more with them, but sometimes I talk in English to some guys and it is better. My English is not that good, but it is getting better.
– And André Villas-Boas, have you had much communication with him? Has he spoken to you about his expectations?
When I train with the first-team, he will help me and tell me some parts of my game that I can improve. It is easy, we both speak Portuguese! It is better!
– Well, thank you Lucas for joining Sambafoot here today and best of luck with your Chelsea future.
Thank you so much.
